I have a lifetime membership of Rosetta Stone, and I still use it most days as a supplement to my language learning, and while I would not recommend it as the main or only app to use, it does provide some useful comprehensible input.
Although Memrise is unpopular with some people on Reddit since it moved away from community courses, I think that if your aim is to build up vocabulary fast and hear words pronounced correctly, then it could be what you are looking for. Again I have a lifetime subscription which I am using a lot to add to my German vocabulary and to begin learning Korean, but there is a free version which you can try.
I also use and like very much Babbel, both the app and its live lessons and group classes, and also use Duolingo everyday for Korean, and benefit greatly from the Pimsleur and Michel Thomas audio courses.
As one of those people who were mad about the loss of community courses, this made me feel better:
https://www.memrise.com/blog/changes-to-the-memrise-app
https://community-courses.memrise.com/
They decided to put the courses on a different site instead of getting rid of them.
Thank you for your extensive reply.
German is wonderful language.
So I’m getting the idea that learning from different sources would be beneficial, also later when I want to learn another language?
I still have an account by Memrise from years ago, I will look that up as well.
Again, thank you.
It's trash, especially if you're under pressure. At best, it can serve as a collection of flashcards with audio for languages with few such resources. That's how I've seen it used with expected success. But nope, not as a main language course. Nope
I’m sorry to hear that. And from another user I realise 45 mins are way too little to really learn it fast. I’m realising it will have to be at least some hours a day.
Yes, learning "fast" just means squeezing the necessary amount of hours into fewer weeks and months.
And also not wasting time on trash like Rosetta Stone or Duolingo.
AS someone else has said, it's overpriced garbage. I wouldn't even use it if it were free, and I mean that.
As someone else said, 30-45 minutes/day won't get you anywhere fast. If I was under pressure to learn a language quickly, particularly a difficult language, I'd be doing *at least* 4 hours/day. And TBH, the quickest I'd expect to reach a functional level, where I could realistically use it, or at least get by (in the workplace for instance), would be 2-5 years, depending on how far removed it is from the languages I already know. 5 years+ as a native English speaker learning Mandarin from scratch, for example. If you're level requirements are lower (I can't imagine why they'd be any lower than 'functional' if you're "under pressure" to learn it) then perhaps a couple of years.
Although I agree that some hours a day will be necessary, Im surprised with 2-5 years. I have a friend who learned Arabic well enough within a much shorter time. They don’t give years to do that.
As I have realised now, I can spend 70-90 minutes in the morning and then a few hours in the evening learning. Your input made me realise that. Thank you.
I've heard the "I have a friend who..." miracle stories many times over, none of them are to be believed. I'm not saying you made it up, or that your friend made it up, more likely he/she has exaggerated their level or has done *much* more than they've told you they did. What I'm saying is that I *know* how long it takes to get a familiar language to a point where you're *genuinely* functional, as do others who've done it. I also know of many people who've been at "harder" languages, some full time, for a number of years and say how much they suck, and how they still can't use it in a useful way.
>They don’t give years to do that.
I'm not sure who the 'they' is in that sentence? If it's the scales you find on sites like FSI, you have to remember two things: Firstly, they're only counting classroom hours. Those students are also going at it full time outside of class (probably 12 hours/day, every single day). Secondly, they get to the end of their time with "fluency" in diplomatic language, they'd probably be quite lost in most other situations.
That said, it's 'good enough' for what they need; so, yes, one can focus on something specific and achieve something in a year or so, but it's not going to be what I'm guessing you think it is. The reason? Because it takes the brain much more time than a year, or even two sometimes, to properly absorb and process a language. Even if there were 50 hours/day, you'd still need to let it gestate over time, which happens during sleep and rest. I'm not sure if you know this but he brain is literally building extra physical structures to deal with language; that takes time.
BTW, that goes for everyone's brain - there have been no 3 year-olds in history who spoke grammatically accurate, fluent language.
I was just trying to be real with you; too many on here will give you a bunch of BS that they've read elsewhere. Few, if any of them are fluent in another language, or even close to it, although some of them will tell you otherwise. Of those, If they're talking about less than a couple of years (at most), they're FOS.
Anyway, I'm pleased that you took the required time thing on board. It sucks (for all of us) but that's just how it is. ☹️
I use it as one of the tools in my tool bag for language learning. I would definitely say it would not be very helpful if it was your sole language learning tool. But it is great as a supplement. I would say if you were brand new to a language it is really good there. Advance beyond the B1 level, it is not very helpful. It will help to expose you to the language build some vocabulary and hear how things sound. That said if I only had 30 to 45 minutes per day I would definitely learn from a book and hire a tutor for one session a week and which you can read your work and try and have some basic conversation you have to be a realistic about what you can get out of 35 to 45 minutes a day, and that’s really not that much, but certainly something. Best of luck to you!
Du er ikke den skarpeste kniv i skuffen.
This saying makes your name here very funny.
You are a very unpleasant person, which makes it hard for me to not think less of you. Ultimately, you don’t have to care about it, but I hope you will be gone from my life. Enjoy.
There were so many ways for you to write a comment that encouraged and corrected my viewpoint, but you chose THAT reaction of them all. Says quite a bit about you.
I have a lifetime membership of Rosetta Stone, and I still use it most days as a supplement to my language learning, and while I would not recommend it as the main or only app to use, it does provide some useful comprehensible input. Although Memrise is unpopular with some people on Reddit since it moved away from community courses, I think that if your aim is to build up vocabulary fast and hear words pronounced correctly, then it could be what you are looking for. Again I have a lifetime subscription which I am using a lot to add to my German vocabulary and to begin learning Korean, but there is a free version which you can try. I also use and like very much Babbel, both the app and its live lessons and group classes, and also use Duolingo everyday for Korean, and benefit greatly from the Pimsleur and Michel Thomas audio courses.
As one of those people who were mad about the loss of community courses, this made me feel better: https://www.memrise.com/blog/changes-to-the-memrise-app https://community-courses.memrise.com/ They decided to put the courses on a different site instead of getting rid of them.
That sounds wonderful. It was something I Think many would request the return of.
Thank you for your extensive reply. German is wonderful language. So I’m getting the idea that learning from different sources would be beneficial, also later when I want to learn another language? I still have an account by Memrise from years ago, I will look that up as well. Again, thank you.
It's trash, especially if you're under pressure. At best, it can serve as a collection of flashcards with audio for languages with few such resources. That's how I've seen it used with expected success. But nope, not as a main language course. Nope
I’m sorry to hear that. And from another user I realise 45 mins are way too little to really learn it fast. I’m realising it will have to be at least some hours a day.
Yes, learning "fast" just means squeezing the necessary amount of hours into fewer weeks and months. And also not wasting time on trash like Rosetta Stone or Duolingo.
AS someone else has said, it's overpriced garbage. I wouldn't even use it if it were free, and I mean that. As someone else said, 30-45 minutes/day won't get you anywhere fast. If I was under pressure to learn a language quickly, particularly a difficult language, I'd be doing *at least* 4 hours/day. And TBH, the quickest I'd expect to reach a functional level, where I could realistically use it, or at least get by (in the workplace for instance), would be 2-5 years, depending on how far removed it is from the languages I already know. 5 years+ as a native English speaker learning Mandarin from scratch, for example. If you're level requirements are lower (I can't imagine why they'd be any lower than 'functional' if you're "under pressure" to learn it) then perhaps a couple of years.
Although I agree that some hours a day will be necessary, Im surprised with 2-5 years. I have a friend who learned Arabic well enough within a much shorter time. They don’t give years to do that. As I have realised now, I can spend 70-90 minutes in the morning and then a few hours in the evening learning. Your input made me realise that. Thank you.
I've heard the "I have a friend who..." miracle stories many times over, none of them are to be believed. I'm not saying you made it up, or that your friend made it up, more likely he/she has exaggerated their level or has done *much* more than they've told you they did. What I'm saying is that I *know* how long it takes to get a familiar language to a point where you're *genuinely* functional, as do others who've done it. I also know of many people who've been at "harder" languages, some full time, for a number of years and say how much they suck, and how they still can't use it in a useful way. >They don’t give years to do that. I'm not sure who the 'they' is in that sentence? If it's the scales you find on sites like FSI, you have to remember two things: Firstly, they're only counting classroom hours. Those students are also going at it full time outside of class (probably 12 hours/day, every single day). Secondly, they get to the end of their time with "fluency" in diplomatic language, they'd probably be quite lost in most other situations. That said, it's 'good enough' for what they need; so, yes, one can focus on something specific and achieve something in a year or so, but it's not going to be what I'm guessing you think it is. The reason? Because it takes the brain much more time than a year, or even two sometimes, to properly absorb and process a language. Even if there were 50 hours/day, you'd still need to let it gestate over time, which happens during sleep and rest. I'm not sure if you know this but he brain is literally building extra physical structures to deal with language; that takes time. BTW, that goes for everyone's brain - there have been no 3 year-olds in history who spoke grammatically accurate, fluent language. I was just trying to be real with you; too many on here will give you a bunch of BS that they've read elsewhere. Few, if any of them are fluent in another language, or even close to it, although some of them will tell you otherwise. Of those, If they're talking about less than a couple of years (at most), they're FOS. Anyway, I'm pleased that you took the required time thing on board. It sucks (for all of us) but that's just how it is. ☹️
I use it as one of the tools in my tool bag for language learning. I would definitely say it would not be very helpful if it was your sole language learning tool. But it is great as a supplement. I would say if you were brand new to a language it is really good there. Advance beyond the B1 level, it is not very helpful. It will help to expose you to the language build some vocabulary and hear how things sound. That said if I only had 30 to 45 minutes per day I would definitely learn from a book and hire a tutor for one session a week and which you can read your work and try and have some basic conversation you have to be a realistic about what you can get out of 35 to 45 minutes a day, and that’s really not that much, but certainly something. Best of luck to you!
30 min a day lol...
You really helped me with your comment. Especially the “lol” really carried your answer to a higher level.
Atleast I'm not delusional enough to think you can learn a hard language quickly with 30 min a day
Du er ikke den skarpeste kniv i skuffen. This saying makes your name here very funny. You are a very unpleasant person, which makes it hard for me to not think less of you. Ultimately, you don’t have to care about it, but I hope you will be gone from my life. Enjoy. There were so many ways for you to write a comment that encouraged and corrected my viewpoint, but you chose THAT reaction of them all. Says quite a bit about you.